We finally have the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl after years of delays and anticipation. We are finally getting to play the sequel to the legendary PC game. Getting to play this game can feel surreal. After such a long time since the original game, many were worried that the new entry would lose sight of all that the original stood for. It has happened before with movies, games, and series. I mean it makes you feel like something is off. Things won’t just feel the same with such occurrences.
I am happy to report that it’s not the case with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. It is a good follow-up to the classic PC game that we have come to love over the years. It does not forget its background, it is the type of game that challenges you, and pay attention to your limitations. The game does not do things in a flashier way and no compromises are made just for the sake of not making the game feel different. The game can get messy and frustrating at times. Such instances also act as charms for the game. Players from the original game will understand what is presented here.
The glitches, bugs, and performance issues coming along with the game can make it feel frustrating. The experience is rough and a lot of the time it can break immersion. One thing is certain, the game is evolving with each new update. There are regular hotfixes and developers are upfront about the game. It makes you wonder, Is S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl worth it? Let’s find out.
Premise (Spoiler Free)
You will play as Stalker, a person who goes into the Zone which is a fictionalized version of Chornobyl to get some profit out of it. It is a lawless zone with different factions and adventurers. These factions and adventurers fight to get their hands on resources and rare scientific artifacts. It was surprising for me to see that your character is a voiced protagonist. You are a Stalker at the beginning of his career so you are a rookie in the Zone. You have gone to the zone for personal reasons. Soon, you jump into a grand scale of events.
The intro sequence decides what players expect from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. If you get through it without giving up or getting lost then you will like what the rest of the game has to offer. The intro will decide whether you go left or right. Storywise, the game does a good job even if moment-to-moment gameplay doesn’t hit as hard. There are some memorable characters and surprises that try to keep the experience fresh. Your character has a motivation that propels him forward.
Combat
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is all about gameplay. It is all about looting, exploration, and survival so all the other stuff gets the back seat. Eat food for combat proficiency, drink vodka to cure radiation (I know it’s funny but that’s how it is), use bandages to stop bleeding, and use painkillers to heal. There is also the management of equipment in a limited inventory. Finding artifacts is also a big deal because equipping these artifacts gives you bonuses.
Weapons can degrade over time so you have to keep them in good shape or else they can get jammed in a tough spot. The survival horror stuff is always in the background. In combat, you feel like you won’t have enough bullets or you don’t have enough inventory space to keep stuff all the while fighting against scary monsters and relentless enemies.
You can prepare yourself for the missions ahead. That’s when everything comes together, when you get better loot it makes a difference. You start with a small pistol, and then get better weapons as well as gear. Artifact and weapon attachments really make a difference in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Getting a silencer or even a small sight feels good. It should be noted that there is no grab option so the only option you have is to keep bunny hoping. The lack of it can be felt throughout the game.
The Challenge
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a challenging game and each shot requires sharp accuracy. Your character is not fast, he is just a regular old human. The creatures and enemy Stalkers you face can become bullet sponges. Shootouts are pretty good. Gunfights are aggressive and can become tense.
Visual indicators are rare so you need to keep your eyes peeled. When enemies are hiding in dark corners or are blended with the environment, you can just run, fire randomly at enemy locations, and hope for the best. Since you don’t have an indicator, the game feels more realistic. Fights can be quick and aggressive yet challenging.
The AI is not that bad. You can get flanked, get shot in the head, flanked, and flushed out by the enemies. It feels clever and most of the time it is your fault. One thing that I have noticed is that enemies throw a lot of grenades. There are no grenade indicators so you need to rely on the sound of a grenade hitting the ground, see it heading towards you, or hear someone call out.
The challenge that the game offers is one of its main pillars. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl and might feel unfair which is understandable since some people won’t like it.
Explore The World
The thing that matters is the world that is there for you to explore. World design is where the game does not feel old school. The Zone is amazing especially when everything is working well. The Zone is good from a weather design perspective and all the other environmental stuff that you can expect from a good game. Storms are especially impressive and the effects of anomalies act as a cherry on top. There is a great amount of detail to your surroundings.
This adventuring is when S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is at its best. Finding hidden caves that have monsters, raiding enemy bases, and fighting off against different types of enemies is the center of it. There are a lot of different secrets all around you. You will constantly get side quests from different characters which gives you reasons to explore. All of it results in better loot for you and loot makes you more powerful which creates a loop. If you are into Bethesda-type games then this will vibe with you.
Anomalies are one of the game’s major focus. These can really mess with you so a lot of the fun exists in observing your surroundings and figuring out how to get through these Anomalies.
The world is random so things will just emerge with you facing both bad guys and neutrals. The NPCs you face throughout the game will fight each other not just you which adds more realism to the world. You might face someone in the world but when you reload the save it won’t be there. The unpredictability of the world keeps the exploration fresh and adds more distractions.
Verdict
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl might seem unbalanced from time to time and there are some things in the game that need to be ironed out. A lot of it has been ironed out since the release. I can’t help but notice that this stuff should have been streamlined from the beginning. Despite these setbacks, it still manages to provide a Stalker-like experience. The issues that the game has won’t stop you from having fun which is the reason for the game’s existence.
Once you get hooked, you will be spending hours upon hours in the game. The main side quest is 40 hours but you can take it way beyond that with side quests and other stuff. It also depends on your pace but there is a lot of stuff to explore here. The game presents you with a choice and it also has multiple endings. It is a good thing that the developers stuck to providing a Stalker experience without making it a full-on flashy triple-A experience. The game creates a solid foundation for future Stalker games. It will be good to see how modders take it from here.
You can wait a while for the game to get stabilized and then jump in to get the best experience. Despite these issues, there is a great game underneath which reminds me of Cyberpunk 2077 but it is not that messy. Developers have made the game seamlessly explorable in a fun open world. It is brutal, and challenging but fun when everything works well.
Trailer:
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